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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed has sentenced Italo Rafael Brett Bonini (26, Orlando) to life in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and 30 years’ imprisonment prison for the production of child sexual abuse material. The sentences will run concurrently. The court also ordered Bonini to forfeit a desktop computer, which he used to commit the offenses. Bonini pleaded guilty on May 1, 2025. 

According to court documents, on January 12, 2025, Bonini video chatted from his residence in Orlando with two child victims in Maryland through an online communication platform. During that video chat, Bonini offered currency in an online videogame in exchange for the victims to show their genitals on screen. Both child victims pulled down their pants at Bonini’s request, and one of the child victims complied with Bonini’s request to display his genitals on screen.

Further investigation revealed that Bonini has victimized minor victims across the globe. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has found evidence of chats between Bonini and approximately 30 minor victims, many of whom have been identified. The chats revealed that Bonini engaged in sexual activity with young children online, including exposing himself on camera, requesting and receiving sexually explicit photos, urinating and defecating on camera. Bonini also tried to entice minor victims to perform sexual acts with their minor siblings and to engage in bestiality. 

Prior to his arrest, Bonini was a music teacher at a middle school in Orange County, Florida. He also taught private music lessons to children.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Cruz.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DURANGO – The United States Attorney for the District of Colorado announces that Lyndreth Hemp Wall, 59, a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, was convicted of sexually assaulting five victims, including a child. A federal jury convicted Wall on 15 counts of Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.

According to the facts established at trial, Wall held himself out as a traditional Native American healer, sometimes referred to as a “medicine man.” Wall was elected to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council in 2020 and is a former school board member in Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1. Over the course of at least the past dozen years, Wall sexually exploited multiple women on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation under the guise of spiritual treatment. Wall created an elaborate ruse by using traditional elements of Ute healing to trick his victims into believing his actions were part of a healing ceremony. During his “ceremonies,” Wall isolated victims alone and touched them sexually for his own gratification. Wall told multiple victims that, if they told anyone about his sexual touching, the healing would not work.

Over the course of trial, the jury heard from the five women who alleged that Wall had committed sexual abuse in Towaoc, Colorado. The jury returned guilty verdicts for abuse of all five women charged in the indictment. The jury also heard from a sixth woman who alleged Wall had sexually assaulted her in Alamosa and Lone Tree in 2020 and 2021 under a rule of evidence that permits evidence of other sexual assaults.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. In addition to this case, Wall faces two separate allegations of sexual assault in Colorado state court. The charges in those pending cases are only allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Anyone who has information about other possible victims is asked to call the FBI Denver office at (303) 629-7171.

United States District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over the trial.

The FBI Office in Durango, Colorado, handled the investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Towaoc, Colorado. Assistant United States Attorneys R. Josh Player and Jeffrey K. Graves handled the prosecution.

Case Number: 1:24-cr-00003-GPG-JMC

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

This release was published following the 43-day government shutdown during which the plea occurred.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.

Jonathan Brunson, 54, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to Counts One, Two, Three, and Five of the Superseding Indictment on November 4, 2025.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Brunson conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine, 28 grams or more of crack, 40 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, and quantities of heroin and cocaine. Similarly, in and around June 2021, Brunson possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture of fentanyl and, in and around April 2021, possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Brunson was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.

Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Brunson. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation; United States Postal Inspection Service; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Pennsylvania State Police; Cambria County District Attorney’s Office; Indiana County District Attorney’s Office; Cambria County Sheriff’s Office; Cambria Township Police Department; Indiana Borough Police Department; Johnstown Police Department; Upper Yoder Township Police Department; Richland Police Department; Ferndale Police Department; and other local law enforcement agencies.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Counselor man was charged in connection with the death of a 4-year-old child.

According to court documents, on November 7, 2025, Randall Pablo, 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, fatally injured his 4-year-old nephew. Emergency responders were called after the child was found unresponsive, and attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. A preliminary autopsy indicated John Doe suffered significant blunt force trauma to the head and multiple contusions consistent with a violent attack.

Pablo is charged with abandonment and abuse of a child resulting in death and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Pablo faces life in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced an Ellsworth, Minnesota man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 27, 2025.

Lugene Rafael Russell, 56, was sentenced to 22 and a half years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Russell was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on August 5, 2025.

Russell’s conviction stems from an incident in July 2024 when law enforcement officers were called to his home in Ellsworth for a report of a crime. Nobles County Sherrif’s deputies eventually obtained a warrant for the home and found approximately a half pound of methamphetamine and a pistol inside the home.  Deputies later returned to the home after a tip and found approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine and three more firearms.  The investigation showed that Russell worked with others to obtain methamphetamine and then distribute it to others including those on the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations in South Dakota. 

This case was investigated by the DEA and Nobles County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Russell was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  The sentencing took place on November 4, 2025.

Abel Moran, age 42, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Moran was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025.  He pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025.

Moran was convicted of Sexual Contact in September 2005.  As a result of his conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or change in employment or student status.  In September 2024, Moran updated his sex offender registration to reflect that he was residing at a residence in Rapid City, SD.  In December 2024, Moran relocated to a different residence in Rapid City, but did not thereafter update his sex offender registration. On June 10, 2025, Moran was arrested in Rapid City.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Unit prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by U.S. Marshalls Service and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted the case.

Moran was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a woman from Box Elder, South Dakota, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  The sentencing took place on October 28, 2025.

Jenna Holzer, 41, was sentenced to 30 years, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Holzer was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2024.  She pleaded guilty on August 7, 2025.

Holzer joined a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in 2022.  During her involvement, she worked with others to obtain methamphetamine from California, typically through the mail, for redistribution in Western South Dakota.  A United States Postal Inspector identified multiple packages sent from California to addresses known to be associated to Holzer.  On October 16, 2024, investigators performed a traffic stop on Holzer’s vehicle. Troopers discovered an ounce of methamphetamine and approximately $3,365 in Holzer’s possession during that stop.  Investigators determined Holzer was involved in trafficking approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine during her involvement in the conspiracy.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), and the Drug Enforcement Administration. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hodges and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.

Holzer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.  The sentencing took place on October 24, 2025.

James Fast Horse, 47, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and $95 in restitution to the South Dakota Internet Crimes Investigation Fund.

Fast Horse was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.  He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025.

Fast Horse was arrested following an undercover anti-sex trafficking operation conducted during the Sturgis Bike Rally.  Over the course of multiple days, Fast Horse used Facebook Messenger and his cell phone to communicate with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old female.  The female was actually the online undercover persona of a federal law enforcement officer.  During Fast Horse’s communications, he described various sex acts he intended to engage in with the girl and sent her multiple images of his private anatomy.  Fast Horse asked her to send him sexually explicit photos of herself.  On the night of his arrest, Fast Horse drove for more than an hour to meet the girl for sex. After he stopped at a local business to purchase sexual lubricant, he arrived at the designated meetup location and was arrested by law enforcement agents.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota DCI  Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

Fast Horse was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Rodolfo Tellez Gutierrez, Jr., 23, threw a gun out of the window of a vehicle during a traffic stop. Review of Gutierrez’s phone revealed messages with the purchaser of the recovered firearm.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Gutierrez will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Scott County Sherriff’s Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney Kurt Wall announced that a federal grand jury recently returned a five-count indictment charging Jesus Lopez, age 45, Zaira Lopez-Oliva, age 24, Kirsis Castellanos-Kirington, age 30, with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking, and coercing and enticing another to travel interstate for prostitution. Each defendant is a Honduran national that is present in the United States without authorization. They appeared for their arraignments and pled not guilty to the pending charges.

According to the criminal complaint that preceded the indictment, between May 2023 and continuing through October 9, 2025, the defendants used WhatsApp to send photographs of scantily clad women of various nationalities, advertising that they were available for commercial sex acts. They are also alleged to have transported young women from the New Orleans Airport back to the Middle District of Louisiana in furtherance of the sex trafficking operation. The defendants also created a “menu” advertisement on social media to solicit customers for commercial sex acts with those females. The females were allegedly threatened and feared harm if they left the apartments where the commercial sex acts took place. 

If convicted of the sex trafficking charges, each defendant faces a minimum of fifteen years and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release. They are also subject to removal or deportation from the United States upon completing any sentences imposed.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—Homeland Security Investigations, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief, Assistant United States Attorney Stephen R. Vick, Jr., and Special Assistant United States Attorney Allen Ross. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.